Rear Main Seals ?

-
7

71dart

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 22, 2004
Messages
122
Reaction score
0
Location
Hannibal Missouri
Is there a easy way to replace the rear main seal without removing the motor on a 71 dart 360 engine?

Thanks

Mike
 
easy it a relative question, I personaly dont think so but others may disagree. You will have to drop the pan and the oil pump and rear main cap and then try and roll the bottom half of the main seal out from under the crank and then roll the new one in to replace it. This is a serious pain in the butt and may not fix the problem anyway, easiest is hate to say it drop the engine and pull the crank thats the easiest way and it lets you check your bearings of course if you go that far may a well do a rebuild.HMMM no easy way that I can see. :(
 
I have done this several times. It's a relatively simple procedure. The hardest part is probably getting the oil pan back on with all the gaskets straight & in place.

Remove the center link, oil pan and rear maincap/oilpump. There is a special tool available called a "sneaky pete" that will help you remove the seal & install the new one. It's kind of like a fishtape that electrician's use. Follow the instructions on the seal & you should not have too many problems. Reassemble everything, torquing it all to spec. and you will be set.

One last thing: The two-part neoprene seals are way easier to install, but IMO, they give you about a 50/50 chance on whether they will leak or not. Stick with a good old-fashioned rope seal - your autoparts store might have to order one in for you, but they are a far better bet.
 
i have no clue, i guess you can check Jegs or summit i have never seen one maybe if I had one of those it wouldnt have been such a pain :shock:
 
I would check your local autoparts store. I have seen them there.. I got mine at a place called "Princess Auto" which is kind of a Canadian version of Harbor freight.
 
If the seal has been replaced already(motor rebuild) then it is most likely a lip seal already, and you won't need the sneeky pete. Just push it with a punch, then pull it with some pliers.

I prefer the lip seals myself, and feel that rope is best used for tieing your shoes.

Just make sure you put ti in with the lip going the right way...(there should be instructions)
 
I seal mine in so good luck and hope yours is not sealed in if so you are going to play hell pushing it out.
 
Rope might work better in a high mileage engine with some wear on the crank surface.
But a crank in good shape will definitely perform well with a lip seal.

Rope for shoes :lol: Good one! lol
 
GM service manuals showed how to repack the upper rope with a tool that bolted in place and a punch the same shape as the seal groove. We never used it but I did have success just with a punch packing the upper seal tight and adding material from the old lower seal until it was too full to get any more in,then replacing the lower part with a new seal. There was a sneaky pete that worked like chinese finger toy(gets tighter when pulled) made of fine wire that grabed a new rope to pull it in. There is really no reason a 2 piece wont work. If you loosen all the mains a turn or 2 the crank will come down far enough to make it easy to slide in. If you dont you will peal the outer surface of the seal some. I like an anerobic sealer if the seal is contained in a main cap or RTV on the BB style. You want to seal the rear cap without holding it from seating in the block. On a BB the seal retainer plate can best be sealed with RTV in my opinion.
If you find a sneaky pete at least drop the crank a little and after installing a new rope and torqueing the other caps cut the edges flush with the block. Use a pipe or large socket on the lower rope to flatten it as much as possible and then cut off the ends flush.
It aint easy or fun and oil will drip on you no matter how well you clean it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top